How to Cook With a Tagine Like You’ve Been Doing It Forever

Despite its popularity on social media, preparing an entire meal in a single pot, aka, one-pot cooking, isn’t new. Global one-pot cooking traditions—like cassoulet in France, congee from China and Southeast Asia, and Ethiopia’s doro wat—have been passed down through generations, each offering a unique expression of comfort food across cultures.

For chef Ayesha Nurdjaja of the acclaimed Shuka and Shukette (the latter recently landing on the New York Times 100 Best Restaurants list), the magic of tagines began during her travels through Morocco. As she returns this summer to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, she’s ready to share more cooking secrets — this time with a show-stopping lamb tagine and an array of vibrant sides. Even if you’re not front row in Aspen, you can still take these tagine tips straight to your kitchen.

What is a tagine?

A tagine is a traditional earthenware cooking vessel with a shallow ceramic or clay base and a conical lid featuring a top vent that funnels steam. Although its exact origin is unknown, the vessel can be traced back to the indigenous, nomadic Berber people of North Africa, who used it to cook over an open fire.

Tagine also refers to a North African stew named after the vessel it’s cooked in. Here are a few trade secrets on how to tackle cooking with tagines.

How to season a tagine

If you’re using a tagine for the first time, it’s important to season it before cooking. This process, also called curing, helps strengthen the clay, making it more resistant to cracking. You only need to do this once before the first use.

To season, soak the base and lid in warm water for one to four hours, then let them air dry completely. Once dry, rub the interior and exterior lightly with olive oil. Place the tagine in a cold oven, then set the temperature to 300°F and bake for about two hours. Turn off the oven and let the tagine cool inside before removing it.

How to cook with a tagine

To cook with a tagine on the stovetop, always use a cast-iron or stainless steel heat diffuser. Tagines, especially traditional ones made of unglazed clay, are prone to cracking if not properly protected. A heat diffuser acts as a barrier between the heat source and the base, protecting it and distributing the heat evenly around it. It’s essential to start with low heat and gradually increase to medium-low if necessary, as sudden temperature changes can also cause the tagine to crack. Once your ingredients are layered inside, cover the dish with the conical lid and let it cook gently, allowing steam to circulate and flavors to meld.

For oven use, always start the tagine in a cold oven (without preheating), which allows the vessel to adjust to the gradual increase in temperature.

Ready to tagine like a pro? Nurdjaja shares her go-to tips below for beginners and beyond.

Choose the right size

When it comes to tagines, bigger is not always better. If you’re in the market for a tagine, Nurdjaja recommends one that can serve two to three people. “It’s better to buy a smaller one because you’ll get more use out of it,” she says. For larger dishes that serve more than six, like cooking a whole chicken, bust out the equally versatile Dutch oven and use your tagine as a service vessel for sides like couscous or sauted peas. “It [tagines] makes it look fancier than what it is,” says Nurdjaja.

Select the right cut of meat

Tagines are versatile enough for steaming or sautéing, but they truly shine when it comes to braising. This slow-cooking method—browning meat or vegetables in fat to build flavor, then simmering them in liquid under a tightly fitted lid—creates that deep, craveable richness found in dishes like birria, rogan josh, and the aforementioned lamb tagine. But success starts with the right cut.

“Look for pieces that have a little bit of gristle or lots of connective tissue that needs time to break down,” says Nurdjaja. For lamb tagine, that’s something like bone-in lamb shoulder. Here’s where the tagine’s unique design comes in: The lids trap and recirculate moisture until the food is meltingly tender and their material retains and evenly distributes heat making them ideal for longer cook times. 

Lean into sweet flavors

Cooking tagines is all about building layers of complementary and contrasting flavors. “What I love is the development of flavors, it’s a kind of set-it-and-forget-it situation.”

To balance the richness from braised meats, ingredients with natural sugars like dried apricots or prunes are often added to a tagine. But, Nurdjaja takes it one step further with dried cherries. “I’ll just throw those dried cherries again on the top and then just steam through and get plump while the ones at the beginning lend themselves to the building of the flavors of the dish.” 

After all, with a dish that’s as much about the vessel as the flavor, the real magic happens when you make it your own.